Tillage implement having a mechanism for adjusting disc blade angle

ABSTRACT

A gang assembly of a tillage implement has disc blades suspended from a support bar with a disc hanger assembly. A disc adjustment mechanism is configured to pivotably attach the disc hanger assembly for each of the plurality of disc blades to the support bar. The disc adjustment mechanism includes a pivot mount for each of the plurality of disc blades. Each pivot mount has a pivot configured to pivot the pivot mount, a first arm connected to the disc hanger assembly, and a crank arm. A shuttle is attached to the crank arms and causes each pivot mount to pivot and adjust the disc angle of the associated disc blade. The disc hanger assembly is configured to position the disc blade such that a vertical center line of the disc blade extends through the pivot point of the pivot.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/316,313, filed Jan. 8, 2019, which application was a national phaseentry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent ApplicationPCT/162017/000810, filed Jul. 3, 2017, designating the United States ofAmerica and published in English as International Patent Publication WO2018/020307 A1 on Feb. 1, 2018, which claimed the benefit of the filingdate of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 62/366,194, filed Jul. 25,2016, the entire disclosure of each of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to an agricultural tillageimplement, and more particularly, to a tillage implement with amechanism to adjust the disc blade angle while keeping blade furrowsuniform regardless of the blade angle.

BACKGROUND

Historically, farmers have always looked for ways to reduce cost,increase production, and become more efficient with their time andmoney. One way to accomplish this is to increase the versatility oftheir equipment by making the equipment capable of performing multipledifferent operations.

For example, a tillage implement contains a set of rotating blades thatcut and incorporate residue into the soil as the implement is pulledthrough the field by a tractor. Most often, the blades are mounted on acommon shaft creating a “gang.” The gang is then mounted to anover-frame tube or structure that in turn is mounted to the basic frame.This assembly is mounted to the frame in such a way that allows thestructure/tube and the affixed gang to rotate. In order make the tillageimplement more versatile, manufacturers have designed ways to change thegang angle in relationship with the direction of travel to adjust theaggressiveness of the implement. This allows the gang angle to beincreased for primary tillage and decreased for secondary operations. Intheory the farmer has the expense of one tillage tool but the one toolis capable of doing two completely different operations.

One problem with such current tillage implements is as the gang angle isadjusted, the slots or furrows created by the blades will move inrelationship to not only the tires and other gangs of the implement, butin relationship with the other blades on the gang itself. This lateralmovement of the furrows creates undesirable non-uniform conditions inthe field.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Briefly stated, one embodiment is directed to an agricultural tillageimplement having a main frame and configured to be pulled in a directionof motion through a field. The tillage implement includes at least onegang assembly having a plurality of disc blades. The gang assembly has atransverse support bar attached to the main frame. Each of the pluralityof disc blades is suspended from the support bar with a disc hangerassembly. The tillage implement has a disc adjustment mechanismconfigured to pivotably attach the disc hanger assembly for each of theplurality of disc blades to the support bar so that a disc angle of thedisc blades relative the direction of motion may be adjusted. The discadjustment mechanism includes a pivot mount for each of the plurality ofdisc blades. Each pivot mount has a pivot connected to the support barand configured to pivot the pivot mount about a pivot point, a first armconnected to the disc hanger assembly, and a crank arm extending fromthe pivot. The disc adjustment mechanism has a shuttle, wherein thecrank arms of each of the pivot mounts are attached to the shuttle suchthat movement of the shuttle causes each pivot mount to pivot and adjustthe disc angle of the associated disc blade. An actuator is configuredto move the shuttle relative the support bar in order to position thecrank arms for each of the disc blades. The disc hanger assembly isconfigured to position the disc blade such that a vertical center lineof the disc blade extends through the pivot point of the pivot such thatfurrows created by the plurality of disc blades do not move laterallyrelative one other when the disc angles of the disc blades are adjusted.

This summary is provided to introduce concepts in simplified form thatare further described below in the Description of Preferred Embodiments.This summary is not intended to identify key features or essentialfeatures of the disclosed or claimed subject matter and is not intendedto describe each disclosed embodiment or every implementation of thedisclosed or claimed subject matter. Specifically, features disclosedherein with respect to one embodiment may be equally applicable toanother. Further, this summary is not intended to be used as an aid indetermining the scope of the claimed subject matter. Many other noveladvantages, features, and relationships will become apparent as thisdescription proceeds. The figures and the description that follow moreparticularly exemplify illustrative embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above mentioned and other features of this disclosure will becomemore apparent and will be better understood by reference to thefollowing description of embodiments in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an agricultural tillage implement;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of a gang assembly of the implement of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the gang assembly of the implement of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of one of the disc blades of the gang assembly ofthe implement and associated hanger and pivot mount; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the pivot mount of FIG. 4.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the views of the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description illustrates the disclosure by way ofexample and not by way of limitation. This description will clearlyenable one skilled in the art to make and use the disclosure, anddescribes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives anduses of the disclosure, including what we presently believe is the bestmode of carrying out the disclosure. Additionally, it is to beunderstood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and the arrangements of components set forth inthe following description or illustrated in the drawings. The disclosureis capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carriedout in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseologyand terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and shouldnot be regarded as limiting.

FIG. 1 illustrates an agricultural tillage implement, generallyindicated at 10. An agricultural vehicle such as a tractor pulls theimplement 10 in a direction of motion A. The implement 10 includes amain frame 12 having a hitch 14 on the front end that may be used toconnect the implement 10 to the agricultural vehicle. A set of centerwheels 16 is attached across the main frame 12 at positions, forexample, roughly midway between the front and rear ends of the mainframe 12 which support the implement 10 as well as providing depthadjustment, in a known manner. Additionally, a set of pivoting wheels 18is connected to front distal ends of the main frame 12 in a knownmanner.

The implement 10 also includes a plurality of disc blades 20 attached tothe main frame 12 in one or more gang assemblies 21. The gang assemblies21 may be arranged in any suitable arrangement such as with front andrear wings such that the ground is engaged by the plurality of discblades 20 as the implement 10 is pulled in the direction of motion A bythe agricultural vehicle.

Turning also now to FIGS. 2 and 3, each gang assembly 21 includes atransverse gang bar 30 extending substantially the length of the gangassembly. The gang bar 30 is attached to the main frame 12. In oneapplication the gang bar is set at an angle to direction of travel A,but the gang bar could be positioned perpendicular to the direction oftravel A if so desired. The gang assembly 21 includes a plurality of thedisc blades 20 suspended from and substantially equally-spaced along thelength of the gang bar 30. Each disc blade 20 is suspended from the gangbar 30 using a disc hanger assembly 36. It is desirable that the discblades 20 be resiliently mounted to the gang bar 30 to prevent the discblades 20 from being damaged or broken when striking an obstacle, suchas a large rock in the field. The disc hanger assembly 36 allows thedisc blades 20 freedom to move vertically, laterally and/or torsionallyaway from obstacles and hard spots to avoid damage to the disc blades20. One suitable disc hanger assembly 36 uses a C-shaped flex spring 38as shown in U.S. Pat. RE38,974 “Agricultural Disc Mounting System andMethod,” reissued Feb. 14, 2006. A hub 40, comprising a suitablebearing, mounts the disc blade 20 to a lower leg 42 of the flex spring38 to allow rotation of the disc blade 20. Desirably, the hub 40 isconventional in nature and would be understood by those skilled in theart and thus need not be described in further detail. Other means formounting the disc blades 20 to the gang bar 30 may be contemplated usingsound engineering judgment.

In some embodiments, a disc adjustment mechanism 50 pivotably attachesthe flex spring 38 for each disc blade 20 to the support bar 30 so thata disc angle of the disc blades 20 relative the direction of motion Amay be adjusted to modify the aggressiveness of the disc blade 20 as theimplement 10 moves through the field. Turning also now to FIGS. 4 and 5,the disc adjustment mechanism 50 comprises a pivot mount 52 for each ofthe disc blades 20 that connects an upper leg 54 of the flex spring 38to the gang bar 30. Each pivot mount 52 is connected to the support bar30 with a pivot 56. A first arm 58 of the pivot mount 52 is connected tothe upper leg 44 of the flex spring 44 using a bolted or other suitableconnection. The pivot mount 52 also has a crank arm 60 extending fromthe pivot 56. In the illustrated embodiment, the first arm 58 and thecrank arm 60 are welded together to form the pivot mount 52.Alternately, the pivot mount 52 may be formed as a single cast orstamped component.

In one embodiment, the pivot 56 comprises a pivot pin 62 extendingthrough the support bar 30 and the pivot mount 52 enabling the pivotmount 52 to rotate about the pivot 56 when an actuation force is appliedto the crank arm 60. Pivoting movement of the pivot mount 52 causes theflex spring 38 and the disc blade 20 mounted thereon to pivot withrespect to the support bar 30. Desirably, the flex spring 38 isconfigured to position the disc blade 20 such that a vertical centerline C of the disc blade 20 is positioned directly below the pivot pointof pivot 56 as can be seen in FIG. 2. Thus, throughout the entire rangeof rotation of the disc blades 20, the slot or furrows created by thedisc blades 20 do not move laterally relative each other since theground engagement portion of each of the disc blades 20 is consistentlydirectly below its pivot 56.

The disc adjustment mechanism 50 has a shuttle 70 that attaches to thecrank arms 60 of each of the pivot mounts 52. In the illustratedembodiment, the shuttle 70 is an elongate member substantially parallelto and extending the length of the gang assembly 21. In this embodiment,back and forth movement of the shuttle 70 causes each pivot mount 50 topivot and adjust the disc angle of the disc blades 20. An actuator 72 isconfigured to move the shuttle 70 relative the support bar 30 in orderto position the crank arms 60 for each of the disc blades 20. In theillustrated embodiment, a lever 74 having one end 76 connected to theactuator 70 and a second end 78 connected to the shuttle 70 isconfigured to pivot about a fulcrum 80 formed by a tab 82 on the supportbar 30. However, other means to connect the actuator 72 to the shuttle70 to enable requisite movement of the crank arms 60 may be used usingsound engineering judgment. While the illustrated embodiment has asingle actuator 72 controlling the position of all of the disc blades 20of a gang assembly 21, one skilled in the art will understand that thedisc blades 20 on the gang assembly 21 may be broken up into groups witheach group having a separate actuator 72 without departing from thescope of the disclosure.

This disclosure allows for the gang angles of the disc blades 20 to bechanged without the adverse effects created by rotating the entiresupport bar 30 of the gang assembly 21. Throughout the entire range ofrotation, the slot or furrows created by the disc blades 20 does notmove laterally since a vertical center line of the disc blade 20 ispositioned directly below the pivot point of pivot 56. Also, since thefurrows or slots do not move relative the implement 10, it is possibleto place a secondary tillage tool (e.g., a shank, a rolling tine, etc.)directly behind the disc blades 20 and have the tool operate in thefurrow or slot regardless of the gang angle.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure are merely possible examples of implementations,merely set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of thedisclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to theabove-described embodiments without departing substantially from thespirit and principles of the disclosure. All such modifications andvariations are intended to be included herein within the scope of thisdisclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An agricultural tillage implement comprising amain frame and configured to be pulled in a direction of motion througha field, the tillage implement comprising: at least one gang assemblyhaving a plurality of disc blades, the gang assembly including atransverse support bar attached to the main frame, wherein each of theplurality of disc blades is suspended from the support bar with a dischanger assembly; a disc adjustment mechanism configured to pivotablyattach the disc hanger assembly for each of the plurality of disc bladesto the transverse support bar so that a disc angle of the disc bladesrelative the direction of motion may be adjusted, the disc adjustmentmechanism comprising: a pivot mount for each of the plurality of discblades, each pivot mount comprising a pivot connected to the support barand configured to pivot the pivot mount about a pivot axis, a first armconnected to the disc hanger assembly and extending from the pivot axis,and a crank arm extending from the pivot axis; a shuttle, wherein thecrank arms of each of the pivot mounts are attached to the shuttle suchthat movement of the shuttle causes each pivot mount to pivot and adjustthe disc angle of the associated disc blade; and an actuator configuredto move the shuttle relative the support bar in order to position thecrank arms for each of the disc blades; wherein the disc hanger assemblyis configured to position the disc blade such that the pivot axisextends through a lower extent of the disc blade such that furrowscreated by the plurality of disc blades do not move laterally relativeto the tillage implement when the disc angles of the disc blades areadjusted.
 2. The agricultural tillage implement of claim 1, wherein thedisc hanger assembly comprises: a flex spring having a lower leg onwhich the disc blade is mounted; and an upper leg.
 3. The agriculturaltillage implement of claim 2, wherein the pivot comprises a pivot pinextending through the support bar and the pivot mount along the pivotaxis, the pivot pin enabling the pivot mount to rotate about the pivotaxis when an actuation force is applied to the crank arm such thatpivoting movement of the pivot mount causes the flex spring and the discblade mounted thereon to rotate about the pivot axis.
 4. Theagricultural tillage implement of claim 2, wherein the first arm of thepivot mount connects to the upper leg of the flex spring.
 5. Theagricultural tillage implement of claim 2, wherein the flex springcomprises a C-shaped flex spring.
 6. The agricultural tillage implementof claim 1, wherein the transverse support bar is mounted on the frameat an angle less than 90 degrees relative to a direction of travel ofthe tillage implement.
 7. The agricultural tillage implement of claim 1,wherein the shuttle is an elongate member substantially parallel to andextending a length of the transverse support bar.
 8. The agriculturaltillage implement of claim 1, wherein the first arm and the crank armare welded together.
 9. The agricultural tillage implement of claim 1,wherein the pivot mount comprises a single cast or stamped componentcomprising the first arm and the crank arm.
 10. An agricultural tillageimplement, comprising: a main frame configured to be pulled through afield; a support bar attached to the main frame; a plurality of discblades, each suspended from the support bar by one of a plurality ofdisc hanger assemblies; a plurality of pivot mounts each connected tothe support bar and each configured to rotate about a pivot axis, eachpivot mount comprising: a first arm extending from the pivot axis andconnected to the disc hanger assembly; and a crank arm extending fromthe pivot axis; a shuttle attached to the crank arms of each of thepivot mounts such that movement of the shuttle causes each pivot mountto rotate and adjust a disc angle of the associated disc blade; and anactuator configured to move the shuttle relative the support bar;wherein each disc hanger assembly is configured to position theassociated disc blade such that the pivot axis extends through a lowerextent of the associated disc blade such that a point at which each disccontacts the field remains along the pivot axis of the associated pivotmount when the disc angles of the disc blades are adjusted.
 11. Theagricultural tillage implement of claim 10, wherein the disc hangerassemblies comprise flex springs, each flex spring having a lower leg onwhich the associated disc blade is mounted and an upper leg connected tothe first arm of the associated pivot mount.
 12. The agriculturaltillage implement of claim 11, wherein the pivot mount comprises a pinextending through the support bar and the pivot mount along the pivotaxis to enable the pivot mount to rotate about the pivot axis when anactuation force is applied to the crank arm such that rotation of thepivot mount causes the flex spring and the disc blade mounted thereon torotate with respect to the support bar.
 13. The agricultural tillageimplement of claim 10, wherein the support bar is mounted on the frameat an angle less than 90 degrees relative to a direction of travel. 14.The agricultural tillage implement of claim 10, wherein the shuttle isan elongate member substantially parallel to and extending a length ofthe support bar.
 15. The agricultural tillage implement of claim 10,wherein each first arm is welded to the associated crank arm.
 16. Theagricultural tillage implement of claim 10, wherein each pivot mountcomprises a single cast or stamped component comprising the first armand the crank arm.
 17. The agricultural tillage implement of claim 11,wherein the flex spring comprises a C-shaped flex spring.